Variable stiffness materials and structures would be very useful and have many applications in next-generation automobiles, aerospace components, and/or defense systems. The ability to alter the stiffness (or modulus of elasticity) of a structure or element of a structure and then re-stiffen would have many applications, such as a reconfigurable aerofoil. As such, there is a need for variable stiffness material (VSM) structures, and, more particularly, laminates of constant stiffness material layers and variable stiffness material layers to provide exemplary variable stiffness material (VSM) structures that can be stiffened and softened with ease. Special design allows a softened state (or mode) to achieve large reversible deformation with relative small input energy while maintaining high stiffness in a structural mode.
In addition, it is desirable to provide a system and method for actuating the above described VSM structures to achieve a structural deformation to, for example, morph their shape(s) to provide additional functionality and performance optimization over a broader range of conditions than currently possible with fixed shape components. As such, there is a need to augment VSM structures, in reconfigurable surface applications for example, by providing systems and methods for actuating these structures over one or more sub-regions to achieve a structural deformation.